A/N: I hath returned. Again. Yeah, Awkward is complete!!! And now to start all over again. Here's the story:
This is two years after the season 3 finale. The only thing different is Addison is married to Mark and Izzie is married to Alex. Hmm…sounds like a challenge for the best couple in the uni-verse. Addisex of course.
"Karev, you and Dr. Montgomery have a case together today," Bailey instructed, not looking up to see Alex's pained expression. He turned on his heel and made his way down the hall, keeping his eyes on his tennis shoes.
Alex's POV.
I cant work this close to her. I need distance. For control. For God's sake, I'm married to Izzie freaking Stevens. No, Karev. Izzie Karev. It just doesn't sound right. Addison's the reason I work on the gynie squad. I used to hate this. What has she done to me? She's ruined me. Turned me into a Bambi. Nah, not that bad. God forbid. I can see her at the end of the hall, leaning on the nurse's station, her foot sticking out slightly. She's dressed impeccably, of course. I walk up and clear my throat, focusing on the wall behind her head.
"Karev?" her voice is questioning. She doesn't know yet. That we have to actually function together. We have gotten so close to forsaking our wedding vows so many times we lost count. We just couldn't do it. With both of our past memories of what happens when you cheat, we have enough control. Working together, with the intensity of surgery, is going to make controlling ourselves ten times harder. Just talking to her is hard. All I want to do is unfasten that annoyingly useless belt around her waist. I bring my eyes up before I blush. Her wedding ring glints in the light and makes me flinch.
"We have a case together today," I reply, trying as hard as I can not to look her in the eye. Her eyes will be the death of me. They portray all the lust. I guess mine do too. Her green eyes. So beautiful. Damn it. Im not even looking at her, and Im losing myself in her eyes.
"Oh," she looks at the floor. We're both staring at the floor, and I cant help but wonder if the nurses think there's something horribly interesting stuck to the tile. "Well, let's, uh, go then."
"Yeah, uh, we should." Could I be any more stupid? Apparently. I look up and Mark has his arm around her waist and shes smiling at the McSteamy grin he's giving her. He looks at her with complete adoration. It burns my eyes. Its like Meredith and McDreamy times three. Gross. I feel like Mark should be steamrolled right about now. I smile in my head, picturing a cartoon steamroller smushing his perfect features. Stupid perfect face, muscles. Die.
"Uh, Mark? I gotta go, ok? Surgery," Addison smiles into his neck when he pulls her close. I feel the overwhelming urge to beat Mark into a bleeding mess onto the floor.
"Dr. Karev." Mark finally acknowledges me. I nod at him. It is only on Addison's orders that he even looks at me like something more than a fungus. He gives Addison a quick kiss on the cheek. Lucky bastard.
Addison follows me down the hallway. I can feel her watching my shoes. I think she's afraid to talk. I don't know why though. I don't bite. Much.
"Uh, Karev? What's the case?" She asks when we make it, finally, to the patients room.
"Quadruplets," he answered shortly. "C-Section today." I think if I use the smallest amount of words possible, I wont actually have to look at her. When I do look up, she's doing a quick ultrasound. She motions to me, without looking, I notice, to look at the screen. One of the babies, a little girl the parents named Renee, has no heartbeat. She looks quietly at the floor, unsure of what to do. I can sense ultimately the silence in the room.
I look at Addison in alarm, finally locking eyes. The pain in her eyes makes my heart break. She looks devastated. Something's wrong. This shouldn't bother her that much.
Addison's POV
No heartbeat. What on earth are we going to do? I cant handle this. I just, I cant. Alex's eyes are searching mine, trying to read what to do next. I shake my head very slightly, so he knows not to mention it yet. He nods, equally unnoticeable.
I have to get out of here. I can feel the walls closing. I can feel the stares of the parents. I turn and flee, for want of a better term. As I leave, I hear Alex make a haphazard excuse as to my behavior and follow. His shoes squeak on the floor. We pass Izzie, who looks a bit uncomfortable. Lucky bitch.
I dive into the nearest oncall room, trying not to dissolve into tears. Alex is right behind me. His eyes bore into mine, and it makes it harder not to cry. Finally the tears spill over. Frightened, he sits next to me, making the mattress sink, pulling us closer. I am visibly aware of the lack of distance between our bodies. Our legs are touching. My hair is on his shoulder.
I throw all professionalism out the window and bury my head in his shoulder. He had always been there for me before. Why not now? Maybe because even Derek, resident knight in shining armor, wasn't even there for me.
Whenever me and Mark would have a fight, I would talk to him about it, and he would tell me honestly if I was right or not. More often than not, I'm right. Well, maybe he's just being nice. I don't mind. At all
"Talk to me," he says, his voice almost pleading. I look into his eyes, and his eyes look damp, like he wants to cry just because I am.
"That little girl," I say between hiccups. I pull away and wipe my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. It isn't working. I look at my hands, and they're covered with mascara and eyeliner. I curse silently. I cant breathe. He stands up and finds a paper bag, handing it to me, sternly telling me without words to compose myself.
"Tell me."
"When Derek and I were married, I got pregnant. I named the little girl Renee," I explained, my hiccups subsiding, but the tears still flowing. "When they did a sonogram, there was no heartbeat. Just like this poor family."
Alex pulled me back down to the bed and hugged me close, letting me cry this time. I sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder, grateful for a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Izzie's POV
I wonder what Alex is doing in there. I saw him follow Addison in there ages ago. I heard from one of the nurses that Addison almost had a panic attack with a patient earlier. No one knows why. But this is Alex. He hates Addison. Well, hate is a strong word. I only use it when Im talking about Callie. Maybe dislikes? Despises? He's just being a good co-worker. I'm glad I gave him another chance. He's really grown up. But seriously, how long does it take to calm down Addison Montgomery-Sloan? Seriously??
Well?? Reviewing is like chicken soup. Good for the soul. Heehee